Job Discussion Forums

[Saad86]

I was wondering if anyone has any updates on Military Technical College, Muscat. There have been other posts but they are slightly outdated.

The job offer is currently:

Compensation:

A competitive, tax-free salary including generous housing and travel allowance - (been told its 1900OMR)
45 days paid annual leave
Travel expenses to and from Oman at the start and end of contract
Air travel twice per year to employee’s nominated home base
Access to free medical and dental care at Ministry of Defence facilities
Initial, temporary accommodation on campus provided free for a period of one month (permanent rental accommodation on-site depends on availability) This is a bit sketchy without accommodation hard to save !!

Opportunity for membership at Ministry of Defence club and mess facilities
Additional benefits for family members

Any updates/info would be much appreciated.

[Monorail Cat]

OP,

I have a friend working at MTC and he passed on the following:

“The compensation package quoted is correct. It’s one of the highest in Oman but not in the GCC.

Re: vacation allowance is 45 days a year but applicants need to be aware that if they take 2+ weeks then MTC deducts the middle weekends from that allowance. Vacations need to be taken during semester breaks and these breaks don’t match school breaks or other tertiary institutions. So, if applicants have dependent children then it’s likely they won’t be vacationing much with the rest of the family for the duration of the contract.

Re: air travel twice per year. Applicants have a choice of getting MTC to book their flights or doing it him/herself. If MTC book the flights then applicants need to be aware that they might not get the exact times/dates they want. If the applicant decides to book the flights then MTC will only refund 75% of the ticket price based on a schedule of ticket costs compiled over a year ago. Air travel prices go up and down, so it’s a crapshoot whether you even get 75% of your flight costs covered. Those that benefit from this option of self-booking are teachers who elected to have distant countries as their nominated home base in their contract and don’t actually go home twice a year. They simply bank to money.

Re: accommodation. Yes, applicants get 1-month free accommodation on campus which helps. There are 7 apartment blocks available with a mix of studio, 1-bed and 2-bed apartments available. But with falling rental prices in Muscat, it’s usually cheaper to live off campus after that.

Re: MoD officers’ clubs. Being an employee of the MoD you aren’t allowed to have the usual Omani liquor license. However, alcohol is (discreetly) available to buy from the officers’ clubs. You have to be a member and you pay yearly membership fees.

Other comments: since Navitas departure, teacher numbers have fallen and student enrollments have risen. MTC has gone from an average of 16 students per class to around 25 students per class. Still manageable but not always effective when it comes to giving individual attention to students. Management are on a continuous recruitment drive and many recent newbies are ex-Saudi teachers. The number of level co-ordinators and team leaders is getting top heavy compared to Navitas days. Interpret that how you wish. There is also a rumor circulating that Portsmouth University in the UK is reducing its support for the engineering degrees. Not sure if this is to do with Brexit or that not many students actually graduate with an engineering degree but pass at diploma level instead.”

[veiledsentiments]